Shane West as Bane Revealed in Gotham Season 5

Our new Bane is here, and he's something else. The first images of actor Shane West as the iconic Batman villain, who is set to appear in Gotham season 5, have made their way online. While many were excited at the prospect of seeing Bane on the DC series, once the images surfaced, the tone changed a bit. To say the least, many people online aren't thrilled with the character's look, which has been thoroughly roasted.

Gotham writer and producer Tze Chun got the ball rolling by sharing the first photo of Shane West as Bane on Twitter. That was quickly followed by an official photo from Entertainment Weekly which was more polished, but didn't help the look all that much. While many picture a large, brooding bad guy capable of breaking Batman's spine, this image features West with some vaguely Darth Vader-esque breathing gear, with the rest of the costume looking like it came from a mid-range cosplayer's closet. Unless someone explicitly said this is Bane, many DC fans maybe wouldn't even realize it is intended to be Bane.

The final season of Gotham is going to serve as an actual prequel to the Batman mythos and will see David Mazouz, who portrays Bruce Wayne on the series, properly taking up the mantle by the show's conclusion. The DC series has featured many classic DC villains so far, with mixed results, but this new Bane may be in the running for the worst yet, based on the fan reaction. Actor Shane West took to Twitter to do some damage control once the EW photo was released. Here's what he had to say.

"This is the official first look at Bane on Fox's Gotham from EW Much more evolved from the earlier leaked images you might have seen floating around. It will allll make sense when it airs."

Many fans probably aren't going to accept the idea that a look they don't like will make more sense once the character actually debuts. And this doesn't seem to be a commentary on Shane West as an actor, who previously starred in ER and Salem. It's just about the look. Comics writer Gail Simone had one of the more hilariously lighthearted scathing reactions to the photos.

"I don't think this is Bane. To me, he looks like Mr. Angry Hotplate."

Bane previously appeared in the much-maligned 1997 movie Batman and Robin, portrayed by wrestler Robert "Jeep" Swenson, as well as in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises in 2012, as portrayed by Tom Hardy. Shane West will likely debut his version of the character on episode 8 of Gotham season 5, which is titled I Am Bane. Be sure to check out the Entertainment Weekly image, as well as some of the fan reactions to the new Bane, for yourself below.

THIS is the official first look at Bane on Fox’s Gotham from @EW Much more evolved from the earlier leaked images you might have seen floating around. It will allll make sense when it airs ????????????https://t.co/nZwWYH7ZXy

How hard is it to make a Super Villain Luchador who's a strategic genius with a harness on his arm, back or wrist that gives him super human strength in live action? Batman and Robin got the look and The Dark Knight Rises got the character but Gotham... WTF#Banepic.twitter.com/tnbwltic1A

Writer of various things on the internet (mostly about movies) since 2013. Major lover of popcorn flicks. Avid appreciator of James Bond, Marvel and Star Wars. Has a tremendously fat cat named Buster and still buys CDs. I’ve got my reasons.